the betsy blog

I post a nice long rant about the DMV and disappear for a week. Man I’m fickle!

I took a trip home this weekend. Saw my friends, my family, my special friend, a terribly depressing play and spent some qt with my “little ones” while hanging out and watching a high school basketball game. It was glorious. Plus, I accidentally spent an extra day in Lincoln due to some serious fog (think Sleepy Hollow style). Plus, I picked up my birth certificate, so watch out DMV, here I come!

But as the post title suggests, I also got some cooking in. That’s right friends, I cooked on my vacation. Be scared. I’m a whole different person these days. The family went to church, we came home and in discussing the various ingredients already in the fridge… we settled upon attempting my first frittata (thank you Pinterest).

How cute is my mom? She wanted to set out fruit nicely as a pretty back drop for my blog photos. Love her.

Here’s the recipe thank you to the lovely Jessie over at the Pleasant and Plump blog (ps. the name. kills me.) :Spinach and Potato Frittata

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 small red potatoes, sliced (or just six potatoes, you know, whatever is available)
1 cup fresh chopped spinach
2 tablespoons sliced green onions (we used plain onion, because it was on the counter)
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste (what this is saying, SALT ME OR I WILL BE BLAND)
6 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (optional) (seriously, who makes cheese optional? silly frittata)

Place potatoes in a skillet with olive oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes cooking them until tender (but still somewhat firm). Stir in spinach, green onions, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted.

Slicing potatoes with a big girl knife makes the world of a difference… How close are we to my birthday… Sigh.

In a medium bowl, beat together eggs and milk. Pour into the skillet over the vegetables. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until eggs are firm.

You guys. There is such as thing as a GARLIC PRESS. Why would you not get one? This keeps you from STINKING like garlic for days after using it to cook. So smart. You’re welcome for that handy tip. Oh, you already knew? Shoot…

*You can also add bacon, sausage, or any other kind of breakfast meat if you want.

(Did you see that footnote at the bottom? I missed it. This would have been incredible with some salty bacon goodness in it. Instead – we had bacon as a side dish. Also – it took much longer than 5-7 minutes to cook it in the end. But you’ll know it’s done when the eggs are nice and firm! ) Overall – this was quick – it was easy – and it was a PERFECT way to fairly quickly throw food into a LARGE skillet and tada! done! The best part? I feel like this is fairly customizable. Have tomatoes? Sure, throw them in. Leftover chicken? Why not. Some spices? Toss away.

It did take long enough that by the time it was done – I was ready to eat it. Therefore, no ‘finished’ photo exists. Whoops. And I might be a little bit of a messy cook. My bad. No worries. I do clean up after myself…

We’ve got a way to go until we’re absolutely caught up on blog posts. A story about a crock pot… a post about some buffalo chicken… and the follow-up on my January goals and setting goals for February. Maybe you’ll just get two posts today? Could you be so lucky?You might friends. You just might. Keep those little fingers crossed!

I move to a new city. I research the grace period on when I need new license plates – and I find it’s 90 days. So I set my January goal “get that done.”

What I didn’t anticipate was the level of difficulty it could possibly be to get new license plates in the state of Colorado. Let me give you a break down of what you need (you know, partly in case you ever want to move here and partly because I just really need to vent this all out):

1. A Colorado’s Drivers License (we will come back to this)
2. A VIN inspection (you go to the one option in your county, they charge you $15, they run a report, you need that)
3. Proof of insurance in Colorado
4. A copy of your registration

So – that leads me to my second goal – get a Colorado License. Oh, well what do you need for one of those suckers?

1. Your old license (makes sense)
2. Proof of your current address (fine, I’ve got a bank statement)
3. Your passport (what?!) or…
4. Your birth certificate

No. Your social security card doesn’t count.

How’d I find this out? I went to the DMV (with a fellow coworker who was ALSO trying to get his license) and we both got rejected. Hard. After psyching myself up. Telling myself it wasn’t going to be so bad at the DMV. There would probably not be any lines (side note: there weren’t – so at least we got rejected quickly…), all of the workers would be friendly (they really weren’t ba) and that this would be a great way to show the world that I am officially living in this new state… And then BAM! Rejected.

Here’s part of the kicker – you HAVE to have your middle name on either your passport (which is optional) and/or there’s about 7 requirements that have to be met on your birth certificate.

Say what?

Here’s what I’m telling you folks – it’s easier to get a passport than it is to get a driver’s license in the state of Colorado.

In my mind that doesn’t make sense? But I’ll get over it. What I won’t get though, is a driver’s license and my plates by the end of January… only because I have to get my birth certificate from my previous home town, where it’s stored, because really, who ever needs their birth certificate.

Apparently anyone trying to get a license in Colorado.

But I don’t want to leave you with a sour taste in your mouth. So I’ll tell you this. I’m at the airport in Colorado Springs right now. My 7:05pm flight is the last one out of the airport (seriously, so cute) and there was no one in the ticket line and not a soul to be seen in security.

And there’s free wi-fi.

So don’t worry my friends – Colorado’s not all bad… parts of it are pretty darn wonderful. Maybe just not-so-much the DMV…

If this doesn’t just make you smile…

Today on my agenda – ‘be handy’ – aka today was the day I was going to paint my own nightstand/future cat cabinet. In the process I also managed to:

• Take down Christmas decorations at a sorority house
• Explore and fall in love with a beautiful/clean/happening Goodwill in my area
• Run errands, enjoy dinner and chuckle over some good episodes of The Nanny with my lovely friend and fellow lover of all things Beyoncé
• Find new perfect knobs (on super sale), remove old knobs and hinges, sand like crazy and learn why spray painting inside is seriously frowned upon (seriously – don’t do it – terrible idea)… all for the most perfect and lovely and wonderful new furniture addition in the apartment

And here’s my preview of how incredible and amazing this puppy is going to look:

Would you just LOOK at those knobs!?!? And the ivory – oh the ivory!

Tomorrow – we will reassemble – and it’s going to be incredible. In fact, I might have a really hard time cutting a hole in the side. This beautiful piece of furniture for a cat? I am officially crazy…

Stay tuned…

There used to be a time in my life where a new gift card to Target would have been spent on a Will Smith CD, the SATC entire series DVD collection… or on clothing/accessories/makeup… Because yes, I DID buy all of those items with amazing gift cards gifts (best. purchases. ever!). I would have seen that gift card and jumped for joy over the endless possibilities on my want list. Especially considering that the incredible Neiman Marcus for Target line had just come out… Really, who doesn’t need a Diane von Furstenberg yoga mat? Or a nice Oscar de la Renta pet bowl?!

But this Christmas, I was more than just excited about the gift cards to Target. I was absolutely elated… because that meant I could FINALLY organize my bathroom closet!

Say what?!

Ladies and gentlemen, I was actually excited to buy storage containers. Yes, that might have thrown Old Betsy into some downward spiral of emotions that a clean closet was more important than a Tory Burch lunch box… but shockingly New Betsy doesn’t really care. New Betsy really wanted the storage containers. I blame my friend. This is all her fault.

When I moved into this apartment this friend, aka “Jillian Michael’s of moving,” was kind enough to climb in the UHaul and head across the country with me. She was like a whirlwind of unloading and organizing. To put it simply, she was amazing. When I wanted to throw something into the closet – she would calmly step in and suggest that I group like items together, or that maybe just maybe I’d want to actually fold the towels before shoving them in. So this is what we got, a combination of her futile effort and of my need to just take things out of the boxes.

Look! Folded towels! Like items together! Everyone wins!

Man oh man was I proud. Check that out. It’s clean. It’s organized and whatever my little ball of energy friend was spouting about was quite obviously crazy. But as I’ve been here and had extra time on my hands, I realized she was right. Having things organized means that you ::might:: actually see them and use them. Or, heaven forbid, when you needed a band-aid… you could FIND it – because you actually knew exactly where it was! Plus, that girl has the cleanest closets of anyone I’ve EVER seen… and let’s face it, when you see someone with a clean closet, you’re just impressed.

Armed with my gift cards, shelf measurements and a plan, I went to Target. Did part of me want to deviate from the plan and get that fabulous Lela Rose dress? Absolutely. But that got shot down as the realization hit that not only did I have zero places to wear that beautiful cocktail dress, but also because it just wasn’t practical. Did you read that correctly? Not practical. Oh man, New Betsy is officially a grown up.

After sizing up all potential baskets, shapes, colors and PRICES – I settled on black, wicker and right over $10 a basket. It took multiple Targets (really Target, only three of one style at a store?! Puh-lease.) – but I went home having used every dollar of my gift cards & Christmas cash – but not one cent more! #winning

I carefully laid out everything in my closet, sorted it all by function (hair, face, medical…) and then began to give each product a home… and this is what we ended up with:

Tears. The most beautiful closet of all times.

Yes, you are encouraged to scroll up and then scroll back. Bam. Organized closet.

Am I bummed that the baskets on the ground don’t match? Sort of. But I already had those… and didn’t want to spend anything else on STORAGE BASKETS. That seemed a wee bit unnecessary. Plus, let’s just remind ourselves that this is all in a closet. In my bathroom. In my apartment that I’m in for another 4 months. Probably no need to have a panic attack about a couple of baskets that don’t match… probably…

You’d better believe that I immediately texted before and after pictures to everyone I know. Especially Miss Michael’s herself (my friend – not the real person – I’m not some crayzo!). And have I opened the closet to show everyone that’s set foot in my apartment since? You bet your bottom dollar! Do I still smile every time I open that door? Heck. Yes!

I’m just loving this organization thing. Knowing just where my nail polish is when I want to change color is just a glamorous feeling. Or having people stay over and being able to hand them a tub when they ask for your makeup… it’s fantastic. Highly recommend it.

Now go forth and organize!

My family is classier than your family. Hands down.

I have four brothers and I love each and every single one of them fiercely. We’re silly. We’re loud. We sit on each other. And, if I do say so myself, we’re awesome.

I go home for holidays and get so excited that we’ll all be together again.

I love them. I loved living with them. Boys are great.

And every time I get home, I think, “My goodness, I wished we lived together again. Living with boys is too darn easy. They are great.”

And then I sit down and fall into the toilet because the toilet seat is up.

And I remember how great living alone is.

(If you don’t have brothers – I’m sad for you on so many levels – also, please ignore this post. Or if you have well-trained brothers that put the toilet seat down – I don’t understand your life – also, you too can please ignore this post.)